Felon Sentenced For Hiding Guns, Ammo In Pittsburgh Airport Luggage

PITTSBURGH, PA — An Ohio man has been sentenced in federal court to 51 months in prison after being convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon and carrying a weapon on an aircraft.

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Troy Rivestti announced that sentence was imposed on July 29 on Luis Rojas Cay, 29, of Youngstown. Cay also was sentenced to three years of supervised release following his release from prison.

According to prosecutors, in April 2024, Rojas Cay was attempting to travel to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Pittsburgh International Airport on a commercial flight when agents discovered in his checked luggage a loaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun, an unloaded 9mm semiautomatic handgun, an unloaded 40 SW caliber semiautomatic handgun, and approximately 204 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

The firearms and ammunition were concealed in packages wrapped in multiple layers of foil-backed tape and contained inside a metal briefcase that was also lined with sheet metal. The briefcase was then placed inside a suitcase that Rojas Cay checked with the airline.

Rojas Cay was previously convicted in Kansas on robbery and attempted kidnapping charges. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.

Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Allegheny County Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all participated in the investigation that led to Rojas Cay's arrest and prosecution.